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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25995355">Not a monster anymore</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/idk_ilike5sos/pseuds/idk_ilike5sos'>idk_ilike5sos</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday, Liam Dunbar is Theo Raeken's Anchor, M/M, Mentioned Malia Tate, Mentioned Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Mentioned Stiles Stilinski, Theo Raeken Loves Liam Dunbar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:54:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,607</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25995355</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/idk_ilike5sos/pseuds/idk_ilike5sos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Today was the day. Theo had finally made it into his twenties. After a lifetime of struggle, necessary karma and pain he had gotten to the day he turned twenty years old. And he felt great.</p><p>(And then I got distracted and wrote how Theo moved in with Liam...)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Not a monster anymore</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hope you enjoy! :)<br/>Please point out any mistakes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Today was the day. Theo had finally made it into his twenties. After a lifetime of struggle, necessary karma and pain he had gotten to the day he turned twenty years old. And he felt great.</p><p>The night prior he had fallen asleep worried about what the next year of his life would hold. He was one of the only people left that still saw he wasn't good, that everyone should be afraid of turning their backs to him. And it lead him to believe that at the first chance he'd get he'd be digging his claws into Scott's stomach once again. Theo didn't want to wake up to another year of opportunities to do so.</p><p>But when he woke he felt refreshed and new. Like he had become a different person during his short sleep. And at that moment he realised that he wasn't a kid anymore. More specifically, he wasn't the kid that had hurt so many people. He wasn't the kid that had watched his sister dying just to rip her heart out of her chest during her last breath, he wasn't the kid that wanted to have a pack and would do anything to get one, and he wasn't the kid that deserved to go to hell.</p><p>Theo didn't just wake up twenty, he woke up a new man.</p><p>As a small fulfilled smile formed on his lips, his bedroom door opened. Liam stepped inside looking like he was about to explode with excitement.</p><p>"Happy birthday!" He said, barely being able to contain himself.</p><p>"Thanks." Theo propped himself up on his elbows and watched Liam come and sit at the bottom of his bed.</p><p>It wasn't long after the anuk-ite had been defeated when Liam found Theo asleep in his truck and finally put two and two together...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Theo had just begun to fall back to sleep after moving for the third time that night when there was another knock on his window, though coming quieter and more hesitant than any previous. He considered ignoring it - since if they was a cop they wouldn't have stopped hitting the window until he was gone - but when it came again he decided he didn't want to risk being taken into the sheriff's station and facing anyone that knew him.</p><p>So, he begrudgingly squinted his eyes open and sat up, holding a hand to whoever was outside in a silent way of saying "<em>I'm awake and I'm leaving, so please stop hitting my truck"</em>. They didn't get it though. <em>Must be new.</em></p><p>Theo groaned and looked out the window to be met by a familiar face.</p><p>"Liam?" He frowned.</p><p>The other boy looked paler than usual and had a straight expression hinted with sorrow and irritation.</p><p>Liam didn't say anything for a while, he had just nodded for Theo to get out his truck then they stood in silence for too long.</p><p>This was a conversation Theo knew he'd have to have with one of the pack members soon enough. He knew that, eventually, someone would recognise his truck and see him asleep inside. Theo had just hoped that it would be someone like Stiles or Malia and they wouldn't care enough to stop and talk about it - after all, it was none of their business. But, of course, it just had to be Liam: the last person he wanted to see him like this.</p><p>"Look, if we're just–"</p><p>"Why didn't you tell me?" Liam had finally built up the courage to look him in the eye. Theo had then seen how hurt Liam looked, but he couldn't quite understand why. Liam wasn't the one that had to live in his car because he had no money, family or friends - it was him and he deserved it.</p><p>"Why would I?" Liam visibly became smaller as his head fell and shoulders scrunched up. It was quiet for a while again. "Sorry."</p><p>With some sort of hope in his eyes, Liam looked up again. "You don't have to be sorry... There wasn't a reason you should have told me, but I still would've liked to know."</p><p>Theo had started to notice the pattern in the conversation: someone would say something, the other would say something that made it awkward, then there would be silence again, before the sequence was repeated.</p><p>"Why do you care where I live?" Theo crossed his arms and leaned back on his truck. "It's not like it affects you."</p><p>"Because some people actually care about you." Liam frowned.</p><p>Theo found that hard to believe. Why would someone care about him? He was a monster. He killed people, good people. He ruined anything he touched.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Because." Liam shrugged and stared at the ground.</p><p>Theo rolled his eyes, then yawned, it'd been a busier night than usual and he'd gotten hardly any sleep. It was still dark out and looked to be about 3 am, so he didn't mind all that much.</p><p>"You should stay with me."</p><p>Theo was flattered by the offer, but he couldn't accept it. He didn't really want to live with Liam, he thought it'd be weird. They barely knew each other, sure they'd spent a significant amount of time together during the time of the hunters and anuk-ite, but they never really spoke like friends.</p><p>"What if I don't want to?"</p><p>"You don't have a choice," Liam said confidently, Theo raised his eyebrows in question. "If you don't then I'll find wherever you are every night and annoy you until you do."</p><p>Theo found himself repressing a smile, "What if your parents say no?"</p><p>"They won't... Just don't purposely kill anyone."</p><p>Theo scoffed.</p><p>"Fine, I'll move in tomorrow." he gave in, then turned and began to open his truck door. He figured that he was too tired to put up with Liam at the moment, so he'd agree now then tell Liam he had no idea what he was talking about when it came to actually moving in.</p><p>"No." Liam put his hand on Theo's and his body pushed against his side then slammed the door shut. Theo looked up at him, confused. "You'll move in now."</p><p>"And if I don't?" This time he couldn't help but let the smirk creep onto his face. Liam frowned and pushed his lips into a thin line, seeming like an attempt to look intimidating. Though, Theo just thought he looked like a cute little puppy. "That's what I thought."</p><p>Theo nudged his shoulder and pushed Liam back a step then again went to open the door. Liam wasn't going to give up though, he was certain that he could get Theo to move in one way or another. He pushed Theo so his back was against his truck then held him down by his shoulders.</p><p>"Liam, I–" But he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before Liam was smashing his lips against his. Theo was frozen in shock, then his eyes soon fluttered shut and he melted into the kiss.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He moved in that night. But they never kissed again nor spoke about it. Theo assumed that Liam just kissed him to get him to do as he wanted, to trick him like he did Tracy. The memory was hard to think of now and Theo sometimes questioned whether or not it was real. He wished it wasn't.</p><p>"So, what do you want to do today?" Liam's voice brought him out of the trance and he quickly ignored anything that could dull his mood.</p><p>"I don't know. Survive?"</p><p>Liam laughed. It didn't feel like it was long after Theo had moved in when it was Liam's eighteenth birthday and Theo discovered their tradition of his parents spending the entire day trying their best to embarrass him. Theo had found it very entertaining and even joined in, then they told him that they'd be doing the same for his birthday and he wasn't laughing anymore. He tried to keep it a secret what day his birthday was, but Liam, somehow, knew and told them.</p><p>"But, seriously, what do you want to do today?" Theo looked away in contemplation. He hadn't considered it. Every time he thought about this day in the past he imagined being in bed all day, ignoring the world as he moped to himself about how he's a horrible person. <em>A monster</em>. But his plans had instantly changed when he woke up and he almost looked forward to what the day had in store for him, possibly even Liam's parents trying to embarrass him (which wouldn't be easy).</p><p>"Hey? Theo?" Liam jolted his arm and Theo looked back to his friend.</p><p>That was when it hit him. He really was a good person, but it hadn't happened overnight as he'd originally thought. It was gradual and it all started with Liam. When he brought him back from the Skinwalkers prison he was giving him another chance and he had taken it. He had saved Liam's life on multiple occasions, he had stopped Liam from killing people and he had taken Gabe's pain. He wasn't a bad person anymore and it was all thanks to Liam.</p><p>Theo had learned over the years that he acted off of impulse a lot, especially when it came to Liam (he didn't have much of a choice to be fair, but that's beside the point). It didn't change when he became good.</p><p>Theo sat up in his bed and quickly leaned forwards, to then reconnect his lips with Liam's. He felt Liam's heartbeat rise then fall to a consistent, but still fast, rate and he was sure Liam had heard his do the same.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feedback, kudos, saves and comments are very much appreciated. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! 💙</p></blockquote></div></div>
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